


Arranging For Consequences

by Larathia



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-09
Updated: 2014-06-09
Packaged: 2018-02-04 01:22:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1761713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Larathia/pseuds/Larathia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a brief conversation; in the wake of SHIELD's fall, people are looking for someone to blame.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Arranging For Consequences

The team knew that if you had legal trouble, of any kind, the smartest first move was to call Tony. He not only could afford the best lawyers, but his general attitude to the universe trying to tell him what to do had resulted in him _needing_ them more than once. He was familiar with how the courts worked - especially at the government level - meant that he was easily the most fearless of any Avenger when it came to standing in front of a judge or a committee.

So when Steve got the formal summons, the very _first_ thing he did was take it, envelope and all, to Tony. 

Who was, of course, waist deep in parts and electronic bits and bobs, wielding a blowtorch. Seeing Steve in this unfamiliar domain, he turned off the torch and lifted the welding hood.

Steve held up the summons by way of explanation, and then set it on a table so as to avoid handing it to him.

Tony, intrigued, held a brief 'what?' expression before walking over to get it. "Hn. You had to have seen this coming, though. I mean you've got the mythical Winter Soldier crashing on your couch. Assassin way up there in the killing people chain, destruction of property..."

Steve just nodded. "I thought it might happen, yeah," he agreed. "And I'm not handing Bucky over to _anybody_."

"So you want - what?" asked Tony. "Make it go away? Media debutante ball? What?"

Steve's forehead wrinkled as he tried to translate Tony Stark into plain English. "Seriously. You think Bucky'd be up to that?"

"He's not crashing on _my_ couch," Tony replied with a shrug. "Look, if he's going to stick around, which _seems_ to be what you're going for, there's gonna have to be some kind of rebranding thing going on. Cold War may be over but giant red stars on your shoulder can still be less than awesome, especially paired with footage of you ripping up city blocks." He nodded toward the folded letter. "He makes a hell of a handy scapegoat."

"And if you 'make it go away'?" asked Steve carefully. He didn't really think Tony _could_ , but a man who was still working on remembering his own life was really not someone he wanted to stick in front of media sharks.

Tony looked the summons over again. "Not gonna lie to you, Cap. He's still going to have to do some rebranding down the line. What we can do right now is play up the puppet angle. Rescuing a brainwashed slave- heyhey!" he stopped as Steve's scowl intensified. "Listen, this is Congress. They don't give a rat's about _responsibility_. They're looking for someone to _blame_. The smaller the wallet of the blame-ee the better. They've got _footage_ of the Winter Soldier unleashing around a bunch of civilians. I'm not saying this isn't completely circumventable, I'm saying that if you want to keep your friend out of the line of fire, something else is gonna have to get put _into_ it. At least in the short term. And that means we play up that he wasn't his own person at the time. You're gonna have to appear on his behalf and the lawyers will lay the blame on his handlers. Two-prong approach."

It was not going to do Bucky's brain any good to have the whole world thinking of him as a helpless, mindless puppet. On the other hand, being held responsible for all the damage was not an option - and that was assuming there was a prison that could _hold_ him. Bucky needed therapy and time, not prison. "...I'll get rid of my television," said Steve.

Tony, permanently plugged into the entire electronic universe, just blinked. "Uh. Yeah. And your internet connection if you're going that route. If there's news we'll call. Or something. My lawyers will definitely be in touch; you'll have to speak at hearings." The tone was warning; he knew well enough how much Steve didn't enjoy politicians. 

Steve nodded. "I'll be there."


End file.
